If you’ve already binged all six episodes of The Perfect Couple like a diligent Nicole Kidman stan and Netflix drama consumer, chances are you’re frequently humming, “Blue lights, red lights / We gon’ get real wild tonight.” Perhaps as you hum, you’re also doing a little step touch or slide. Maybe you’re even getting kinda crazy with it and playfully sticking your tongue out like Meghann Fahy does. We can’t deny the cold, hard truth anymore: The 45-second opening dance sequence to Meghan Trainor’s “Criminals” — choreographed by Charm La’Donna — is a drug. Seeing those A-listers drag themselves through the choreo and force little smiles as they unnaturally groove on the beach… it scratches a brain itch you didn’t know you had. And Meghan’s signature joyful, AI-esque sound is a match made in heaven for this jarring routine.
Personally, I can’t imagine the show without the dance, but the stars of The Perfect Couple were quite anti-dance. In fact, they went to great lengths to try and get out of it, but failed (thank god). For all the other “Criminals” choreo enthusiasts out there, here’s why the dance was included in The Perfect Couple and why the cast fucking hated it.
Why Is There A Random Dance Sequence In The Perfect Couple?
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We owe Susanne Bier, the director of the show, a huge thank you. She dreamed up the dance sequence with the intention of giving the murder mystery show a lighter, comedic vibe. “I felt that the title sequence needed to be something which was suggestive that the audience is allowed to have fun with this show,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “There’s something joyous in a lot of people dancing together. And with all these characters, who are not necessarily sympathetic, having that moment, just seemed right to me.” It seems right to me too, Susanne. When the music supervisor, Sue Jacobs, sent over “Criminals,” Susanne knew they had their soundtrack. Apparently, Meghan is from Nantucket, where the show takes place, so this was fate.
What Does The Perfect Couple Cast Think About The Dance Sequence?
Yeah, they’re not fans. Besides Liev Schreiber, apparently. Susanne recalled, “When we sent it to the cast, everybody other than Liev Schreiber went, “No, I’m not doing that. No, no, no.” When they returned to filming after the writers and actors strikes, they had to get everything done in half the amount of time they originally had. People on set would ask Susanne, “Are you sure you want to spend time doing something the cast doesn’t even want to do?”
According to the director, “Nicole said she couldn’t dance in her dress. It was too tight. They even made a WhatsApp group to not do the dance.” Okay, yes, Nicole deserves to be a diva. But the fresher faces are pretty bold for joining a protest WhatsApp group. “When it came to it, I was just like, ‘Let’s just try it,'” Susanne told THR. “And then they all got totally into it! We shot it all in an hour and a half.”
While discussing the dance with Entertainment Tonight, the cast revealed how they really feel about the whole ordeal. “I loved it,” Liev said like the king he is. He added, “I thought I should’ve been in it more. I thought we should’ve been in it more.” Nicole did not share that view. “I was hoping we wouldn’t be in it more,” she joked.
Meghann admitted that she never “fully learned it,” and she and Eve Hewson completely roasted Nicole’s performance. “Those aren’t the moves,” Eve said. “She just brought her own flair, her own sort of spice to it.” Whenever I completely fuck something up, I’m now gonna say I just “brought my own flair, my own sort of spice to it.”
